We were so excited to finally be pregnant after almost 6 months of trying. It was November 27, 2015, the day after Thanksgiving, when that pregnancy test showed a positive line. I blurted it out to my best friend because I couldn’t hold the excitement. My mother-in-law met me at my office and I gave her a card that had the news on it. I had been planning the announcements for months, waiting for that positive test. We drove to Babies R Us so that I could find the perfect onesie to announce to my husband that we were finally going to have a baby.

Our first ultrasound at 6 weeks was perfect. We told my sister-in-law, the grandparents, the cousins and some of our friends. We celebrated Christmas full of glee and opened presents for Baby R.

At 8 weeks, 3 days after Christmas, my in-laws went with us to the ultrasound. I will never forget the words, “I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat.”

That was the first time our world was shattered. My doctor ran dozens of tests. We already knew I had endometriosis, a bicornuate uterus, and low progesterone. What we didn’t know was that my endometriosis was stage 3 and everywhere. Or to the extent my uterus was bicornuate. With my bleeding disorder I couldn’t miscarry at home due to risk of bleeding out. The D&C was scheduled for three days after the news of losing our first child.

I married my college sweetheart on May 26, 2007 after dating for 4 years. He was the love of my life. Everything seemed to work out perfectly as we met in our first class as college freshmen and married 2 weeks after graduation. Life was easy and going exactly according to plan. We decided in 2009 that we wanted to have children. I figured it would take 2 months, 3 tops. And then we could share the joy with our families that year at Thanksgiving. And then at Christmas. His birthday party? Maybe 4th of July? Football tailgate reunions?? And on it went. No pregnancy, month after month.

My husband and I found each other when we were both in our late 30’s. We were ready to be married and we were ready to be parents. In the next 14 months (after our honeymoon) when we weren’t yet pregnant, our excitement turned to surprise and then soon to worry. I changed my diet (I’m a registered dietitian so of course this would help, right?) to follow the “fertility diet plan”, reduced my work hours from full to part time, started acupuncture, reduced my caffeine, reduced my physical activity to keep my heart rate under 110… you name it and I did it. My husband too, though all of his tests were fine, started reading about increasing his testosterone with cold showers, more cholesterol from food, etc. Basically, we felt like we had nothing to lose and if there were a chance it could help, why not?[Read more…]

I am 21 years old and I have endometriosis. I have to take fertility medicine if I want to have kids. We decided we were ready, so I took it [medicines] and I took three pregnancy tests the next month before I made my doctor’s appointment. We were so excited. We were ready for our lives to change forever. I went to the doctor’s and he told me I was 4 weeks and 5 days, but to be careful because it would possibly be a tubal pregnancy.

My name is Kaitlin and I am 29 years old. I am married to Scott and have a daughter Emma. I am sharing our journey with you as demonstration of our commitment to this process. Please take the time to understand where we have been and how we got to this place. [Read more…]

My husband and I are high school sweethearts!! We’ll celebrate 9 years this May. I’m grateful to have him as my Rock. I suffer from Stage IV Endometriosis, and I have also have been diagnosed with recurrent miscarriages. It has been a very turbulent ride, but I like to think that we have been made stronger by each experience. It sounds cheesy, but sometimes it’s all you can say to get through the difficult times. [Read more…]

So this is mine and my husband’s first child. We were so excited to find out that I was pregnant. I found out when I was 18 that I have endometriosis and it would be difficult for me to get pregnant. So at the time I wasn’t seeing anyone seriously and I went on the Depo shot for birth control. Well then I met my husband and a little over a year later we were married and I stopped taking the depo shot that I had been on for a little over 2 yrs. About 6 months into the marriage we were trying to get pregnant but no luck. So we were getting ready to go talk to a doctor after it had been a yr and no luck. Then I found out I was pregnant.

My name is Crystal. My husband, Allen and I were married on September 16, 2000… six years and one day after our first date. I was 20 and he was 25. (We met on a blind date the beginning of my freshman year of high school.) I was finishing college and wanted to wait on starting a family. We figured we were young and had the rest of our lives. What was the rush, right? We decided during our 3rd year of marriage we were ready to begin our family. I went off the pill and we anxiously awaited the day when we would be able to buy the pregnancy test and see those 2 lines. [Read more…]

Shortly after my husband and I got married in 2006, I discovered I had severe endometriosis. After several rounds of IUI with Clomid and two surgeries, we met with an Infertility specialist. During our 1st invitro round we implanted two embryos and were blessed with our son Max on October 3, 2008. With my endometriosis, we knew we couldn’t wait a long time to have more children, so in the spring of 2009, we started a second round of invitro. I never suspected the pain that was waiting for us…

On May 13th, 2009, we found out I was pregnant. We had implanted two embryos and my HCG numbers were very high- suspicious for multiples. All along I had suspected that I would get pregnant with twins, but that there would be something wrong. We went in a couple weeks later for a confirmation ultrasound, I was pregnant with twins! However, it was immediately obvious that Twin B was not as strong as Twin A. Its heartbeat was slower and the amniotic sac was much smaller. They told me Twin B would not survive.

I’m lying on a squeaky bed. I can feel the metal bars across my back on the worn out thin mattress and I can smell the crispness of potent detergent in the sheets. I am being rolled along a corridor and all I can see is the dirty sealing and the lights flashing as I go past. I hear people dash from door to door; their blue, white and pink uniforms flash before me. One of the lights somewhere needs its bulb changed as all I can hear is the buzzing and buzzing, fading, fading. Welcome to day surgery Athena. The first operation in my life, ever. I was always a healthy kid, even as adventurous as I was; I never had any bumps or broken bones. But today at 32 years old, I was having a laparoscopy. In layman’s terms, 4 probes. One through the belly button, 2 above the groin and one conveniently in my vagina. One of the probes was thick enough to have the tiniest of cameras attached to it. My Fertility Specialist wanted to take a look inside my uterus and see whether there was anything to explain my infertility. Infertility – the word I had become quite accustomed to now for nearly 2 years. Today though was not the happy ending story. There’s another 4 years to this tale of eventually holding my child in my arms.

My husband and I met when I was 21. We dated for awhile, went on holidays – drank, partied, lived life. We moved in together when I turned 24. Having come from a strict Greek background, this was finally my time to shine. To really express myself, not be bogged down by rules and finally experience adulthood. We lived happily and started to become more involved with our careers and saving cash for our first home. We got married when I was 27. Throw in a few more holidays, helping our families and establishing secure jobs. I was 29 when we finally opened the door to our own home. The thought of children never really entered our minds. We wanted them eventually but were so happy together. Everyone around us was the same age and only now starting to have kids. We were not far behind when we decided to try. How hard could it be? Everyone else was having kids.